Chapter 372 - 345: George Lucas’s Invitation

After walking just a few hundred meters, Wu Yun lost interest and had Da Xiong tell Hawkeye and Poison Thorn to bring the car around.

Soon, the group got in the car and returned to the hotel.

Just as they arrived at the villa’s entrance, Siri, the butler in charge of Wu Yun’s villa, walked over holding an exquisite envelope. "Mr. Wu," he said, "this is an invitation sent over by Mr. George Lucas."

"Alright! Thank you!" Wu Yun nodded at Wang Hao, who, understanding the cue, took out One Hundred Dollars from his bag and handed it to Siri.

Back in the villa, it finally dawned on Wu Yun who George Lucas was.

’He never thought a Hollywood magnate like him would send an invitation.’

George Lucas was born on May 14, 1944, in Modesto, California, United States. He was an American director, screenwriter, and producer who had graduated from the University of Southern California’s film school. All the films related to Star Wars were inextricably linked to this industry magnate.

That wasn’t even the most important part. He had also founded Lucasfilm. While many people might not be familiar with Lucasfilm, most have certainly heard of its world-renowned subsidiary: Industrial Magic Light!

In 2012, Lucasfilm and its subsidiaries were acquired by the Disney Company for 4.05 billion US Dollars.

And just last year, in 2014, Lucas himself was ranked 295th on the Forbes list of world billionaires with a personal net worth of 4.9 billion US Dollars.

"Dear Mr. Wu Yun, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance... I sincerely invite you to a party I am hosting at my home. Industry leaders and numerous actors will be in attendance, and I hope to provide everyone a rare opportunity for exchange."

"Time: March 10, 2015, at 6:30 PM."

"Location: 35 XXX Road, Beverly Hills."

George Lucas

’This is the first time I’ve ever gotten an invitation to a Western-style party. I wonder if it’ll be just like on TV, with men in suits and women in gowns, all standing around in small groups, chatting and laughing with wine glasses in hand.’

Since the gathering was more business-oriented, Wu Yun decided to buy a casual suit. That way, he wouldn’t feel out of place even if everyone else was dressed informally.

So, the next day, after his morning workout and breakfast, Wu Yun took the opportunity while he was out to find a shop for Kiton, a brand reputed to be the pinnacle of ready-to-wear suits.

Wu Yun chose a more casual-style, dark blue plaid suit.

Thanks to his years of training, Wu Yun had a toned and powerful build, and the suit had a very flattering, slim fit on him.

Wu Yun was about to fasten the third and topmost button when the salesperson stopped him. "Sir, that third button is purely decorative. If you fasten it, you’ll ruin the shape of the lapel!"

This wasn’t Wu Yun’s first time wearing a suit, but its fabric made him truly understand the saying, "you get what you pay for."

According to the salesperson, "This is the pinnacle of ready-to-wear, a prime example of the Neapolitan suit style from Naples, Italy. Its construction is lightweight and close-fitting, and over 90% of our fabrics are proprietary. We have the lowest production volume among all ready-to-wear brands due to the high degree of handcrafting—each jacket requires over 200 man-hours!"

After that flowery description and feeling the fabric for himself, a single casual suit ended up costing Wu Yun US$ 30,000.

「The evening of March 10th arrived quickly.」

A sprawling estate was already buzzing with activity, a veritable sea of luxury cars parked both inside and outside its gates.

The G-Wagen that Wu Yun and his men drove was utterly inconspicuous here, while their Ford F-150 stuck out like a sore thumb.

After parking in a designated spot, Wu Yun told his bodyguards to wait in the car for his signal.

It wasn’t that Wu Yun didn’t want to bring them inside, but as he was parking, he noticed the guards at the entrance stopping several other guests who had arrived with bodyguards.

The phrase he heard most clearly was, "I’m sorry, sir! Please have your bodyguards wait outside!"

What made Wu Yun feel a little awkward was that most of the guests were arriving in pairs—the men dapper in their suits, the women gorgeous and captivating. However, the feeling passed as quickly as it came.

The two of them smoothly passed the security check at the main gate and entered the inner courtyard.

As soon as they stepped inside, a server approached them. "Sir, please follow me. Mr. Lucas is in the main hall greeting guests."

’To be honest,’ Wu Yun thought, ’after seeing Lucas’s estate, my villa back in Rongcheng would be considered bottom-tier here.’

Then again, in Huaxia, building a manor-style villa within city limits was an almost unheard-of rarity, and the property prices were astronomical.

For the same price, you could only afford a traditional courtyard house in Huaxia—or perhaps just half of one.

In 2012, a young Chinese-American couple, the Ning Siqiaos, spent $34.5 million on a French-style mansion in Beverly Hills. The mansion boasted 36,000 square feet of living space on a two-acre lot, perched on a slope overlooking the famous Sunset Boulevard.

This kind of value was only possible in a place with so much land and so few people.

The thought crossed Wu Yun’s mind. ’It really is a bargain!’

The moment Wu Yun stepped into the main hall, he instantly drew the attention of numerous guests.

Even in a casual suit, his face looked remarkably young. Combined with his Asian features, this caused some people to stare in disbelief.

"Welcome, my friend from afar!" a white man in his fifties with graying hair and a beard called out cheerfully.

As the man strode toward him, Wu Yun smiled and extended a hand, which the man took in his own.

Amidst a mixture of jealous, discriminatory, and envious stares, Wu Yun smiled and said, "Mr. Lucas, thank you for the invitation! This is a small gift I brought for you from Huaxia."

Wu Yun took a long, exquisite box from Wang Hao and handed it to George Lucas. It was a calligraphy painting he had picked up in Chinatown while he was clothes shopping. It wasn’t overly expensive, but the sentiment behind it was pleasant.

"Mr. Wu, thank you for your gift!" George Lucas handed the box to an attendant, then smiled and draped an arm around Wu Yun’s shoulder. "Come, Wu! Let me introduce you to a few partners!"

Since George Lucas was only 168cm tall, it was less an arm slung around Wu Yun’s shoulder and more a hand simply resting on it.

Wu Yun was completely baffled. He had no idea why Mr. George Lucas was being so incredibly warm.

George Lucas led Wu Yun toward a group of two men and one woman.

Wu Yun recognized one of the men from the research he had done beforehand—it was Robert Iger, the current CEO and Chairman of the Board for the Disney Company. His immaculate suit and hairstyle made him instantly recognizable.

The other was a white man in his thirties or forties, about the same height as Wu Yun, wearing black-framed glasses and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a very fitting blue suit.

The final person was a middle-aged woman in a plain-colored gown. She had a relatively slim figure, but in Wu Yun’s eyes, her features were rather unremarkable—’just as Westerners have trouble telling Asian faces apart,’ he thought.

The trio smiled as George Lucas led Wu Yun over. The younger, bespectacled white man even gave Wu Yun a small, smiling nod.

Wu Yun smiled and nodded back in response.

"Come, come! All three of you! Let me introduce Mr. Wu Yun, a tycoon from Huaxia!" Thankfully, as George Lucas made the introduction, he didn’t follow the Western custom of reversing Wu Yun’s name.

George Lucas continued with a smile, "Don’t let his age fool you. Mr. Wu is only nineteen, but his personal fortune is well over one billion USD. An achievement like his is unique in the entire world!"

George Lucas briefly summarized the information he had researched, even mentioning several of Wu Yun’s companies.

As George Lucas continued his introduction, the trio’s perception shifted. They had initially dismissed Wu Yun as just another celebrity from Asia, but after hearing the details, they began to regard him as an equal—or perhaps even someone of higher standing.

"I know none of you have likely heard Mr. Wu’s name before, because he’s only been on the rise in Huaxia for about a year. But I’m confident that he is guaranteed a spot on this year’s Forbes list!"